Kabul Beauty School

I know that this entry should be in the "Book Reviews" section, and I'll include one in there as well. But this book provoked so much strong emotion in me that I felt something should be stated about it. The title of the book is Kabul Beauty School, and the author is Deborah Rodgriguez. It deals with Deborah leaving Michigan to visit Afghanistan as a relief worker. She's a hairdresser and finds herself feeling not as useful as the other relief workers in her group (who are all doctors,nurses,etc...) However, that soon changes when she discovers fellow relief workers who are in dire need of getting a haircut,pedicure, manicure,etc. This, along with the realization that beauty salons were banned by the Taliban, causes a chain of events to result. She opened up the Kabul Beauty School (with the help of donations by Paul Mitchell's company as well as many others). This school empowers women to learn professional skills to flourish in life---rather than remain a prisoner in their own homes. What provoked me so much in this book was the idea that the majority of women in this area are not revered. Instead, they are persecuted for being female. Their marriages are arranged, which isn't too bad, unless the man turns out to be abusive or extremely old. Then that's just plain horrid! Women are imprisoned for being raped, fighting back against abusive husbands, or for being abandoned by a husband!

Now I do know that not ALL men in Afghanistan mistreat women. Deborah Rodriguez (the author) married an Afghan native, and they are living happily together.And I'm sure that there are many more examples of happy couples in this country. But, in this book, the ratio of good relationships to bad relationships was staggering!

I kept trying to place myself in the shoes of the women in this story, and I found myself wanting to cause an uprising because I couldn't even fathom such a situation! Imagine not being able to enjoy the town market in the daytime unless you wear a burqa (and even then you'd very few, if any women!) Imagine not being able to laugh out loud with a group of your girlfriends in a beauty salon because it might draw attention from outside sources! Imagine not being allowed to be walking in town after 3:30! Imagine having your child taken away from you just because you are divorcing an abusive husband!

That lack of freedom makes me shudder. However, the women who have experienced these conditions are strong individuals because they've seen or lived through traumatic events, yet the are resilient. They rise above it all in their own way, and they are to be commended for that. I do hope that the Kabul Beauty School continues to empower their students with knowledge and compassion.